Published 8:21 pm, Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Earlier this year, George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin. Although not all the details of the shooting were known, civil rights leaders, politicians and media pundits all across the country immediately called for justice and for Zimmerman to be tried for murder, even though he claimed self-defense.

Marches were held to support Martin; impassioned speeches made on the floor of the House of Representatives; President Barack Obama weighed in when he said if he had a son, that son might look like Trayvon; editorialists called for justice; and from thousands of pulpits judgment was given.

More Information

What do you think?
Respond to this opinion piece in a Letter to the Editor, 300 words maximum, to letters@newstimes.com; or Where I Stand, 700 words maximum, to jsmith@newstimes.com; or shoot a quick You Said It, maximum 50 words, to YouSaidIt@newstimes.com. Be sure to provide your full name, town and a telephone number to contact you. The number will not be published.

Jesse Jackson went so far as to assert, "Targeting, arresting, convicting blacks and ultimately killing us is big business."

Unfortunately for the protesters, there may have been mitigating circumstances, but those circumstances were unimportant as a young black man was killed and someone needed to be held accountable.

It is a tragedy when any young person dies needlessly. Being shot in a needless struggle with another man only heightens the loss.

For generations, we have had the media -- and, more important, the leaders of our congregations -- to inform us and to call us to action.

And in the case of Trayvon Martin, the call was loud and clear, as calls for justice came from every corner of our nation. But were these calls for "justice" or merely grandstanding by our leaders?

After 4-year-old Lloyd Morgan was murdered as he played at a Bronx basketball court or when in New Haven a 16-year-old male was shot as he stood outside a convenience store, did preachers express outrage from pulpits across the country?

Earlier this year, Ashley Armstrong from Danbury was murdered in New Haven, apparently the victim of a drive-by shooting. Her case is still unsolved.

Those sitting in the same congregations that loudly called for justice a few months ago will hear pins drop before calls for justice come for these victims.

Our cities have become combat zones where the unarmed live at their own risk, with minority populations most at risk. Yet for the past two decades as our cities have descended into this abyss, the pulpits have been silent.

Jesse Jackson has not called for police to rid the neighborhoods of gangs and the violence they cultivate.

Al Sharpton is silent when young black men kill other young black men. Indeed, Jackson could more correctly state the gangs have made "Targeting ... blacks and ultimately killing us (a) big business."

There could be four reasons we do not hear an outcry against gang violence:

Perhaps our religious leaders are unaware our cities are uninhabitable. No, if anyone reads newspapers, watches television or listens to the radio, ignorance is not an excuse.

Do they not understand the severity of the situation? Recall the outcry aimed at Zimmerman earlier this year from thousands of pulpits. If a single killing unleashed that reaction, why have not any of the others mentioned elicited even a tepid response from those same preachers?

Why would not the murder of a 4-year-old child result in a clarion call from congregations nationwide?

If our leaders are aware of and understand the severity of our cities' plight, then why is there no action?

Criminals rely upon intimidation to keep their victims under control. Are our clergy being strong-armed by the gangs? That is a clear possibility, but there is another possibility:

The drug business is very lucrative, bringing in billions of dollars every month. Are "donations" made to keep certain voices silent?

Gangsters buying silence is hardly new; is that why we hear no calls to end the violence and bring the gangs to justice?

Cowardice can be expected from the average politician who cares more about the next election than the good of his constituents. We can expect little from them.

The press is little better; ratings, profits and awards matter more than truth.

But from the clergy, don't we deserve better? Is it not time for the shepherds to protect the flock and not the wolves?

It is time for the pulpits to demand safe neighborhoods in our cities for all our residents. If your pastor does not raise the cry for bringing safety and justice for all, ask why there is silence in the face of the tyranny of the gangs.